Roman Empire Marc Antony AR Denarius (32-31 BC) - NGC Ch. VF! 4/5 Strike! LEG II

Description: Roman Empire Marc Antony Silver "Legionary" Denarius (32-31 BC) - NGC Ch. VF! 4/5 Strike! Legion II, War Galley Reverse! The celebrated legionary coinage of Mark Antony, produced in all likelihood at his winter headquarters at Patrae just prior to the Actium campaign, honoured twenty three legions (LEG PRI to LEG XXIII) as well as the praetorian cohorts and cohorts of speculators. A number of legions have additional types giving their names as well as their numbers. Obv: ANT AVG III VIR R P C, Praetorian galley right.Rev: LEG II, Aquila between two standards.Banker's Mark on Reverse. Historical Context:In 44 BCE, after Caesar's assassination, Antony took the opportunity as speaker at the dictator's funeral to turn the tide of popular opinion against the conspirators and drive them from Rome. Antony seems to have had no intention of pursuing or punishing Caesar's assassins until the appearance in Rome of Caesar's nineteen-year-old heir, Gaius Octavius Thurinus (Octavian), who demanded the assassins be brought to justice. Octavian's arrival, and legal claim as Caesar's heir, was an unpleasant development for Antony and the two men were instantly at odds with each other. Octavian insisted that Caesar's will be followed to the letter, including dispensing the monies which were to be given to the people of Rome; Antony disagreed with this as he also took offense at a `boy' (as Antony would frequently call Octavian) offering him advice on anything. Outmaneuvered by Octavian politically and intellectually, Antony fled with his legions to Gaul where his forces were defeated by Octavian's. At a truce, Antony, Octavian and Lepidus formed The Second Triumvirate in 43 BCE and agreed to partitioning Rome's holdings among them to rule jointly. Lepidus was given Africa to rule, Octavian the west, from Rome, and Antony the east. Antony and CleopatraAfter defeating the armies of Brutus (l.23-42 BCE) and Cassius (l.c.85-42 BCE) at the Battle of Philippi in 42 BCE, Octavian returned to Rome and Antony went east where, at Tarsus in 41 BCE, he summoned the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII to appear before him. He planned on charging Cleopatra with sedition against Rome (for aiding and abetting Cassius and Brutus) in order to fine her a substantial sum to help pay his army. Cleopatra, however, manipulated her entrance to Tarsus in such a way that she immediately cast a spell over Antony which he would never be able to break. As Plutarch describes: She received several letters, both from Antony and from his friends, to summon her, but she took no account of these orders; and at last, as if in mockery of them, she came sailing up the river Cydnus, in a barge with gilded stern and outspread sails of purple, while oars of silver beat time to the music of flutes and fifes and harps. She herself lay all along under a canopy of cloth of gold, dressed as Venus in a picture, and beautiful young boys, like painted Cupids, stood on each side to fan her. Her maids were dressed like sea nymphs and graces, some steering at the rudder, some working at the ropes. [...] On her arrival, Antony sent to invite her to supper. She thought it fitter he should come to her; so, willing to show his good-humour and courtesy, he complied, and went. He found the preparations to receive him magnificent beyond expression, but nothing so admirable as the great number of lights; for on a sudden there was let down altogether so great a number of branches with lights in them so ingeniously disposed, some in squares, and some in circles, that the whole thing was a spectacle that has seldom been equaled for beauty. (Life of Antony) Antony and Cleopatra immediately began their famous love affair (though he was at that time married to Fulvia) and he considered her his wife even before legally marrying her. In 40 BCE, Fulvia died and, in an effort to try to cement the further deteriorating relationship between the two rulers, Octavian and Antony agreed that Antony would marry Octavian's sister, Octavia (even though, that same year, Cleopatra gave birth to Antony's children, the twins Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene). The relationship between Octavian and Antony deteriorated further as the years passed and Antony continued his relationship with Cleopatra while married to Octavia. In 37 BCE, Antony sent Octavia back to Rome and, in 35 BCE, when Octavia came with troops, supplies and funds to meet Antony in Athens, he refused to meet her and had her again sent home. Leaving Athens on campaign, Antony successfully subdued and annexed Armenia to Rome. Instead of returning to the city of Rome for his triumph, however, Antony held his parade and celebration in Alexandria with Cleopatra at his side. He formally ceded territories to Cleopatra and their children and proclaimed Caesarion (Cleopatra's older child by Julius Caesar) the true, legitimate heir to Caesar, thus publicly challenging Octavian's claim and right to rule. The Battle of Actium and DeathOctavian, acting swiftly as usual, read a document in the senate, allegedly Antony's will, which, he claimed, proved Antony was preparing to take over Rome and which gave away precious Roman resources to Cleopatra and her children. Wisely deciding to avoid declaring war on Antony (which could have alienated some members of the senate and the populace) Octavian maipulated the senate into declaring war on Cleopatra. The forces of Antony and Cleopatra met those of Octavian, under the leadership of the General Agrippa, at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE where they were defeated by Agrippa's superior tactics and their own ineptness at waging war on the sea. For the next year, Antony would fight a series of small, futile battles with Octavian until, in 30 BCE, upon hearing that Cleopatra was dead, he stabbed himself. The rumor was false, however, and, dying, he was brought to Cleopatra where he died in her arms. She killed herself shortly afterwards through poison. Octavian had Caesar's and Cleopatra's son, Caesarion, strangled to death. The children of Antony and Cleopatra were brought to Rome where, after being paraded behind an effigy of their mother in Octavian's triumph, they were raised by Octavia along with her own children by Antony, one of which, Antonia Major, would later be grandmother of the emperor Nero. Octavian was now the sole power of Rome and, in 27 BCE, was given the title Augustus ("illustrious one"), becoming the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Please Check out Our Web Site : antebellumnumismatics. com where you can see many new purchases and other listings. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about any listings you see. *Combined Shipping Available ON ALL Items, Request an Invoice or we will send you one after one business day. Items over 16 oz. or $750 in value must be shipped Priority Mail with Signature Confirmation in order to be Fully Insured. 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Price: 675 USD

Location: Harvest, Alabama

End Time: 2024-12-11T02:28:03.000Z

Shipping Cost: 7.95 USD